


one call away

by sujiverse



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Mentions of Sex, let's get this twitter au chatfic actual fic monstrosity bread, sana and mina are mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 16:10:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18673057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sujiverse/pseuds/sujiverse
Summary: “I should call Jinsoul” really shouldn’t be her programmed response when looking at a pretty girl she could potentially chat up, but it is, and Sooyoung hates herself a little more for it.(or: Sooyoung and Jinsoul navigate a flirtationship from an ocean, ten thousand kilometres, twelve hours, and a phone call away. )





	one call away

**Author's Note:**

> for sansrival, my soulmate who is also an ocean away

To be frank, Sooyoung doesn’t know how she and Jinsoul came to have… whatever they have. The first time she spares it an extra thought is when Haseul asks her about it, and even that came a few months too late. Sooyoung was in deep by then; already coughing up flowers if you will. That is, if the Hanahaki disease was an actual thing that existed.

 

They had met online-- Twitter, actually. Gotten into an argument in a thread about a puppy, of all things. Sooyoung’s puppy, to be exact. 

 

**chonky animals** @chonkyanimals

chonky dog tries to put his shirt over his over head, fails. 12/10 recommend

[goodboy.jpg]

 

**sooyoungie** @hasooyoung

     just 12/10??? i'm not accepting any less than 14/10 for my trooper >:(

 

**soul** @jin_sOUL

     just 14/10??? was expecting 16/10 for haneul :D that’s a h*cking cute dog you have right there

 

**sooyoungie** @hasooyoung

     wtf!!! BACK OFF that’s MY dog MY baby don’t you even DARE

 

**soul** @jin_sOUL

     omg what’s your problem?? i’m just complimenting your dog……

 

**soundcloud in bio** @lil_yeojin

     omg get a room? take this to the dms maybe???

 

Jinsoul learns how fiercely protective she is about Haneul that day, but also a few other things. It would typically be hard to keep in touch with a stranger from over the internet, let alone one in a timezone twelve hours away, whom you met in Twitter user chonkyanimals’ mentions, and whose job takes up most of her time and energy. But Jinsoul was unrelenting in her insistence to get to know her better; who was Sooyoung to say no to that? It didn’t take long for them to become friends, and while Sooyoung would claim that it was because they “clicked” from the start, that would only be half of the full story. The full truth is that she was infatuated from the moment she laid eyes on Jinsoul’s twitter bio, even more so after looking at her display picture.

 

Ah, the internet. Bringing people together, even ones that were never meant to work out.

 

At some point they’d exchanged numbers-- the difference in their area codes almost a startling reminder as to how far apart they are geographically. 

 

**jinsoul** : work is boring

**jinsoul** : distract me?

**sooyoung** : you’re in luck i’m out for dinner alone 

**sooyoung** : there’s nothing much here unless you want to hear about this girl that keeps staring at me

**jinsoul** : that’s fine by me, i love girls

**sooyoung** : oh then you’ll love this one, she’s pretty

**jinsoul** : all girls are pretty! >:(

**sooyoung** : fine. valid. ...do you wanna hear about her or not?

**jinsoul** : yes :D

**jinsoul** : call me

 

She had hesitated. After all, she was phoning a semi-stranger over the internet. 

 

sooyoung is calling…

 

_ “Hey stranger.” _

 

“Hi,” Sooyoung said back, putting down her fork. “You must have been really bored.”

 

_ “I still am. So you gonna tell me about that pretty girl that keeps staring at you or what?” _

 

* * *

The bar gets busy on a Friday night. There are waves of people that come and go within the two hours that Sooyoung is there, successively nursing a margarita and a mojito. Haseul received a call from a  _ friend _ , and so she’s left alone to ponder why her best friend of ten years has to use euphemisms when describing a booty call. Her phone becomes the closest thing she has to a companion. At some point, it gets boring.

 

She wants to say it got lonely-- which really isn’t too far from the truth-- but her pride would never allow for it.

 

Her fingers fly across the keypad, but hesitate a little before pressing the green button. 

 

It’ll be morning there. Jinsoul’s just getting ready for work. 

 

She presses it. Sue her. She’s an addict and a masochist. 

 

“So I’m looking at this girl… and she’s pretty.”

 

_ “And you called me instead of talking to her?”  _ A sigh and a chuckle reverberate in her ear. She hates how it sends a little shiver down her spine. 

 

_ “You’re useless. What does she look like?” _

 

“Brown hair, soft eyes, red lipstick, pretty cool extensions-- no wait, they’re mismatched and ugly.”

 

That’s half a lie. The extensions don’t look that bad. Still, she’s not blonde hair, big eyes, pink lips and a sharp jawline. She’s not Jung Jinsoul. 

 

“Oh, and the best part? A girlfriend attached to her hip.”

 

That’s a lie. The girl is alone. 

 

_ “Ah,” _ Jinsoul has the nerve to laugh over the phone.  _ “Set your sights on someone more attainable, won’t you?” _

 

Sooyoung groans. The only person she wants is the most unattainable one there is. Not that she can see it. Not all the way from the States anyway.

 

“Then come over here.”

 

_ “You know that’s not possible! Stop asking me and start talking to those pretty girls you keep talking to me about.” _

 

“You’re pretty. I’m talking to you.”

 

_ “Sooyoung.” _

 

“Ugh, fine. Since you won’t humour me, I’ll go see if that couple’s looking for a threesome.”

 

_ “Alright then. If it happens… use protection!” _

 

“You’re killing me, Jung Jinsoul.” Sooyoung tries not to let her disappointment be known. 

 

_ “I know.”  _

 

She can basically hear the mischievous smile on her face.

 

Sooyoung leaves the bar after hanging up, not sparing the pretty girl another glance.

 

* * *

 

**sooyoung** : they weren’t looking for a threesome

**sooyoung** : :(

**jinsoul** : WELL on the bright side, you did save some condoms! 

**jinsoul** : and not to mention energy

**jinsoul** : so good on you

**jinsoul** : :D

**sooyoung** : …

**sooyoung** : you’re killing me literally killing me

 

* * *

Maybe it stings a little to know that Jinsoul doesn’t feel the same jealousy she does when Jinsoul does retellings about her hook-ups with her friend Vivi, her trips to the club with the boys in her office, her nights not spent alone like Sooyoung’s often are. Perhaps it stings a little more that she can’t help but go back on the phone, trying to incite something-- anything from Jinsoul. 

 

A reaction. A disagreement with Sooyoung’s ways. A ‘stay on the phone with me instead’.

 

Not a--

 

_ “Just pretty? Aren’t you gonna tell me what she looks like?” _

 

“Round face, pouty lips, really cute features, reddish-brown hair, bangs, and oh, you have got to be kidding me.”

 

_ “A girlfriend attached to her hip?” _

 

Jinsoul’s laugh rings in her ear. Sooyoung wonders what it’ll be like to hear it in real life, and not over a phone call.

 

“No, not that,” she says with a laugh of her own. “She’s my doctor.”

 

_ “Who says you can’t date your doctor?” _

 

“Me. I like someone who knows my body, but not someone who knows it  _ that _ well.” That gets her another giggle. “Anyway, she’s looking for me, I’ll call you again if I see any pretty girls.”

 

Of course Jinsoul snickers at that. She really is out to make herself miserable.

 

_ “I’ll be waiting.” _

 

“Ha Sooyoung?” The fresh-faced doctor calls again.

 

She hurriedly puts the phone in her coat pocket, raising her hand with a smile. The doctor gives a charming smile that reaches her eyes. She feels bad for herself that she doesn’t feel a thing for… what was it again?

 

Hm, Dr Kim Jiwoo.

 

“That’s me.” 

 

* * *

**sooyoung** : [image]

**jinsoul** : what’s this? :0

**jinsoul** : someone gave you their number?

**sooyoung** : remember the doctor?

**sooyoung** : well it was her friend, an orthopaedic surgeon

**jinsoul** : you’re kidding

**jinsoul** : a bone doctor??? ask her out!

**sooyoung** : you’re kidding

**sooyoung** : she specialises in feet she’s a FOOT DOCTOR

**jinsoul** : that’s even better

**jinsoul** : god knows someone with a foot fetish would be perfect for you

**sooyoung** : ...

**sooyoung** : you’re killing me jung jinsoul

**jinsoul** : :D

**sooyoung** : literally killing me

 

* * *

When she reaches home, alone again on a Saturday night, she decides that a change in her life is imminent. 

 

She’s either getting over Jinsoul, or she’ll have to continue suffering over this unrequited  _ crush. _

 

A bloody crush. What was she, a teenage girl? It doesn’t make sense for an acclaimed lawyer at age thirty to be pining over a HR director living in the States. What was she thinking? And let it go on for months, at that.

 

Lying on her bed, she clicks her phone open, idly scrolling through her text messages.

 

**jinsoul** : had to fire someone today…

**jinsoul** : this really sucks

**jinsoul** : i really really feel like utter shit

**jinsoul** : i want to find a new job

 

That was sent three hours ago. The imminent change that she was just talking about? Haha. Um, well, that’s going to have to wait. She grips her phone a little tighter, her heart going out to Jinsoul. She has her fair share of issues from work, the emotional cases often getting the better of her. Jinsoul’s no different. 

 

The green button is pressed before she can help it. The HR director doesn’t answer. 

 

She redials, draping an arm over her eyes. It goes straight to voicemail, again.

 

**sooyoung** : find a new one

**sooyoung** : cheer up, soul

**sooyoung** : i’m always here if you want to talk

**sooyoung** : you know that

**sooyoung** : i love you [unsent]

**sooyoung** : please let me help you take the pain away [unsent]

 

Who was she lying to? Herself? This wasn’t just a crush.

 

**sooyoung** : just call me if you need, i’ll be here

**sooyoung** : always [unsent]

 

She sets her phone down, but picks it back up moments later with a sigh.

 

**sooyoung** : always

 

* * *

**jinsoul** : hey thanks for checking on me

**jinsoul** : i’m feeling better

**jinsoul** : maybe even sent out a few job applications

**sooyoung** : hey! that’s great

**sooyoung** : i’m happy for you :)

 

* * *

_ “I should call Jinsoul”  _ really shouldn’t be her programmed response when looking at a pretty girl she could potentially chat up, but it is, and Sooyoung hates herself a little more for it. As “Mina”, or at least that’s what her name tag says, prepares her coffee, she finds herself counting the moles on her face. Not to be creepy or anything-- the stranger just has a lot. Like twenty? How does that even happen-

 

“Iced Americano for Ha Sooyoung!” The barista calls in bored voice. It mirrors Sooyoung’s exact feelings. Until, that is, she sees the barista’s face.

 

The deep brown hair is striking, but more so the stranger’s grey contacts and tired scowl. Sooyoung shifts eye contact, feeling uncomfortable at her gaze. When she grabs her coffee, she nearly misses the way the barista looks at her like she’s the most distasteful person in the room, but she doesn’t, and it makes her feel  _ some _ kind of way.

 

God, how high her level of sexual frustration must be for this to happen…

 

“Fuck me,” is all she mutters, already lifting her phone to her ears as she continues her walk down the street. The line gets through almost immediately. 

 

“Hey, my place tonight?”

 

* * *

[unread]

**jinsoul** : happy friday! :D

**jinsoul** : i’m sad that my friday hasn’t ended

**jinsoul** : bet you’re going to be having fun all night, huh?

 

* * *

Minatozaki Sana is blonde hair, big eyes, pink lips and a sharp jawline. 

 

But she still isn’t Jung Jinsoul. 

 

Sooyoung hurls herself off a metaphorical cliff the moment she lets Jinsoul’s name slip out of her mouth, Sana’s fingers still inside her.

 

Luckily, Sana laughs it off, their arrangement remains strictly strings-free, and Sooyoung makes Sana pancakes before sending her home the next morning, feeling nothing more than slight embarrassment.

 

* * *

**sooyoung** : yeah it was fun

**sooyoung** : i spent the night alone

**sooyoung** totally fun

 

* * *

Her finger, pitiful as it seems, finds itself hovering over that dreaded green button again. 

 

The bar is an awfully lonely place, as she’d come to find out over the past few weeks. Haseul’s on vacation, and it seems only appropriate that she drinks alone, since there were no other friends in her life to speak of.

 

If only she could call the morally corrupt colleagues in the law firm her friends. (They aren’t that bad. She just needs a scapegoat to blame her sore lack of social skills and love in her life.) Maybe she wouldn’t be so reliant on Jinsoul to take away some of that loneliness. 

 

Even if it means conjuring up some random pretty girl to tell Jinsoul about.

 

_ You’re supposed to be getting over her. _ She shuts her phone off before the temptation is too hard to resist.

 

“Can I buy you a drink?”

 

Sooyoung turns her head, coming face-to-face with a familiar face. Brown hair, soft eyes, red lipstick…

 

“Where’d the extensions go?” She asks without much thought. A hint of a smile makes its way up the girl’s face.

 

“So I wasn’t hallucinating when I thought you were staring at me the last time.”

 

“I have eyes, and you’re pretty.”

 

The girl smiles, looking down to her hands, “I wore those for a performance. Pretty ugly, if you ask me. Were you waiting for someone?” 

 

She makes her confusion apparent on her face. “No, not really. Why do you ask?”

 

“You were have a stare-down with your phone.”

 

“Ah, no, it’s… I’m sorry. I should probably tell you that I’m involved with someone.”

 

“Sure,” the stranger replies nonchalantly. “Me too. We can just talk, then.”

 

Sooyoung laughs, raising her glass to that. She notices that the woman’s hands are empty. “Why not let me buy you a drink? Miss...”

 

“Just Jungeun. Thank you, but I’m staying sober. And you are?”

 

“Sooyoung.  _ Just _ Jungeun, You’re no fun,” Sooyoung teases, knocking back the rest of the whiskey in her glass. She can’t help saying the next line, “Why not though? It helps if you’re trying to get over that certain someone.”

 

Jungeun’s breath hitches a little. 

 

“Oh shit. Sorry, did I just assume the wrong thing?”

 

“Well no, it’s just… My best friend’s a doctor. She doesn’t like it when I drink.” 

 

Sooyoung catches the sad smile that fades as quickly as it comes. The look of resignation; it’s all too familiar.

 

“My best friend isn’t a bartender, but she isn’t a doctor either,” Sooyoung jokes. Haseul the lawyer, and Jinsoul the HR director both come to mind. They’re both her best friends, she rationalises, pushing the thoughts about Jinsoul away as quickly as they come. “Why are you here then?”

 

Her words draw a short laugh from the other woman. “I was supposed to go on a blind date but the other girl didn’t show.” A pause. Jungeun now looks wistfully at Sooyoung’s empty glass on the counter. “She made me promise but I…” 

 

Blind date, so she’s single and has best friend issues… Sooyoung puts two and two together.

 

“You know, if you’re here to forget about your best friend that isn’t here, the first step  _ is _ to get drunk.”

 

“How did you...”

 

“Same boat, I guess.”

 

“I’ll drink to that,” Jungeun says with a wry laugh, ordering a martini for herself. 

 

She finds out that Jungeun is a dancer, plays the guitar, loves swimming, and has, at several points in her life, found herself deeply in love with her childhood friend, but never had to courage to confess. Said childhood friend cum best friend is a doctor that meddles in too many parts of her life for her to properly let go. And who also, apparently, has a really pretty singing voice-- which was information Sooyoung neither needed nor wanted, but was given anyway.

 

The night deepens, and with the formalities over and done with, Sooyoung finds herself comfortable enough to confide in the pretty stranger.

 

“The funny thing is I’ve never actually met her. We met online, and she lives in the States. Beautiful voice, lovely personality, and a great laugh. You know how fucking rare it is to hear a genuine laugh nowadays? All that, and I only get to hear her over the phone. Talk about uuuuuuunfair.”

 

Jungeun slams her glass a little too hard onto the counter, leaning close to Sooyoung as she says seriously, “The laugh, man. It’s always in the way they laugh. If they laugh with their entire heart, it’s over for me. And you!”

 

Also tipsy, Sooyoung rests her cheek against the cool counter, closing her eyes. “You know,” she starts slowly, confessing, “I was all ready to get myself laid tonight. But every time I saw someone pretty I just… Jinsoul, man…. Jinsoul’s face just jumps out.”

 

“Mmm I get what you mean. Me too! Jiwoo is like...” Jungeun furrows her eyebrows, trying to find a word. “She’s like Jesus. She’s everywhere. Omni-fucking-present.” 

 

“Her name is Jiwoo? I know a Jiwoo!” 

 

They clink their newly refilled shot glasses together, giggling while knocking them back.

 

It’s only later in the night, when the ever mysterious Jiwoo shows up to pick Jungeun up, that Sooyoung realises that Jungeun’s Doctor Jiwoo had been  _ her _ Doctor Jiwoo all along. Not that she was sober enough to properly communicate that to Jungeun, anyway.

 

* * *

 

**sooyoung** : im llloovee u

**sooyoung** : whhy rre uu so far from me

**sooyoung** : im sos ssad 

**jinsoul** : sooyoung?

**jinsoul** : you’re drunk...

**jinsoul** : i hope someone’s taking care of you

**jinsoul** : well i guess you’re sleeping

**jinsoul** : i’ll catch you later 

**jinsoul** : and hey, i love you too

 

* * *

“Ah fuck…” 

 

The sunlight pouring in from the windows causes the pain in her head to intensify. Hangovers are a bitch to deal with when there’s any light in your eyes at all. Which is why Sooyoung always has her curtains drawn, no matter the day or occasion.

 

After belatedly realising she isn’t in her own home, the first thing she does is check if she’s appropriately attired-- which she is, thank god. Second order of business should probably be to leave with a thank you note, but she tries and fails to get off the couch herself, stumbling and getting a face full of expensive fur. 

 

“Advil?” A voice calls. It reminds her of her doctor-- soft, yet stern while telling her she should stop over-exerting herself if she wants to live past the age of thirty-five. 

 

After belatedly realising, again, that that was indeed her doctor talking to her, Sooyoung nods in embarrassment, pulling herself up enough to sit up against the couch. The headache stings more than it should, and her (wrong) decision to check her phone only worsens the pain. 

 

**jinsoul** : and hey, i love you too

 

_ She doesn’t mean it like that… _

 

Jiwoo brings the advil, along with an expression that can only be read as disappointment. She sits down on the couch, kicking Sooyoung a little on her side. “I’m trying really hard not to be your doctor right now.” 

 

“I know. I can see it in your face,” Sooyoung says, taking the pills gratefully. They laugh a little at that. “So am I in Jungeun’s place or yours?”

 

“Ours,” Jiwoo replies. At the startled look Sooyoung dons, she adds hurriedly, “It’s not what it looks like.”

 

“There’s only one bedroom in this apartment, Jiwoo. What do you expect me to think?”

 

“It’s complicated,” Jiwoo huffs. When Sooyoung tells her to “un-complicate it”, Jiwoo only deflates further into the sofa, blowing the hair out of her face.  _ And to think this is someone who graduated medical school... _

 

“Jiwoo… where are you...” a sleepy voice calls from the bedroom. Her eyes widen when she realises that they aren’t alone.  “Oh, Sooyoung. I- I’m sorry. Do you mind if I, uh-- Jiwoo? Can we talk?”

 

“Of course! I’ll see myself out,” Sooyoung quickly says, smiling when Jiwoo sends her a look of worry. “And I’ll see you next week, Doctor.”

 

She’s about to walk out when Jungeun calls for her.

 

“Hey! I hope things go well for you and Jinsoul.”

 

“You too, Jungeun,” Sooyoung replies with a smile, making it a point to look between the two of them. “You too.”

 

* * *

**sooyoung** : sorry i was really drunk

**sooyoung:** and currently badly hungover… 

**jinsoul** : it’s alright, it was cute!!

**sooyoung:** i meant every word i said [unsent]

**sooyoung** : i’m always cute :)))

 

* * *

 

Jiwoo and Jungeun make it a point to shove their newfound relationship in Sooyoung’s face. After, that is, talking it out and crying into each other’s shoulder after realising they were both idiots that never communicated how in love with each other they were even while living with each other. (This, Sooyoung was told while waiting for her appointment with the doctor by Jungeun herself, who was very kindly bringing her girlfriend lunch, and had conveniently seen Sooyoung alone in the waiting area.) It kind of annoys her that Jungeun and her are no longer in the same boat, but she’s happy for her new friend nevertheless.

 

It kind of gives her some hope that it could happen to her too.

 

Except the fact that, you know, Jinsoul lives in Trump-land. But whatever. Positive thoughts only! Jinsoul did say that she loved Sooyoung, so…

 

It wouldn’t hurt to try, would it?

 

“Oh, it would definitely hurt, my girl.”

 

Haseul, ever the voice of reason (and/or spoilsport), tells her one day over lunch. 

 

“According to my calculations and a little help from Google, she lives ten thousand kilometres away from you! So what if she says yes? You’re going to try for long-distance? Could you really stand never being able to touch her and see her in person?”

 

“Oh my fucking god, Jo Haseul. Lay off the questioning,” Sooyoung sighs, “I feel like I’m testifying for a murder trial.”

 

“You might as well be charged for murdering your own sanity,” Haseul replies sincerely. “Seriously, when are you going to stop obsessing over a girl you’ll never get to meet? I’m sorry if I’m being too pragmatic or harsh. You know I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

 

“Jinsoul isn’t… She isn’t… someone I’ll never get to meet…”

 

Haseul gives her a look. That look, the one she gives every time a suspect on the stands says something stupid. Sooyoung’s the stupid suspect right now, about to get hit left, right and centre by Haseul’s prodding.

 

So she does the wise thing, and confesses: “I may or may not have drunkenly bought an air ticket. To San Francisco. A few nights back.”

 

A pause.

 

“You’re fucking insane.”

 

“Not insane, just shitfaced. If you’re going to insult me at least get it right.”

 

Another pause.

 

“You're fucking  _ insane _ , Sooyoung.”

 

Sooyoung leans back into her chair, sheepishly avoiding her friend’s stare.

 

“Is it a bad time to ask you to cover my cases?”

 

* * *

**sooyoung** : so i’m fucking insane

**sooyoung** : [image]

**jinsoul:** NO WAY

 

* * *

_ “You do realise that you’re coming HERE, to where I live, in the US. Right? Do you realise how insane that is? You’re packing up and leaving for two weeks just to see a stranger over the internet?!” _

 

“Jinsoul,” Sooyoung can’t control the laughter that escapes her lips. She coughs and wheezes, feeling her throat getting dryer with the winter air. The girl over the phone remains unfazed by the disturbances, continuing her ramblings. “Jinsoul!”

 

_ “Yeah what?” _

 

“I’ll be seeing  _ you _ , not some stranger over the internet.”

 

_ “Okay, and? That’s crazy.” _

 

Sooyoung laughs loudly. “I have a feeling that you and Haseul would get along really well.”

 

_ “Maybe one day I’d get drunk and buy a ticket back home too. Who knows? I’d love to meet Haseul...” _

 

“You know, I would encourage that behaviour if I didn’t know just how much you were getting paid to stay there in that shitty firm of yours.”

 

_ “Hey, it’s not shitty! Don’t twist my words. It’s corrupted and literally hell on earth.” _

 

“Whatever you say, Jinsoul.”

 

* * *

**sooyoung** : i think i’m all packed

**jinsoul** : aLREADY? 

**sooyoung** : what can i say? i’m excited

**jinsoul** : sooyoung. i’m excited to see you as well but the flight is in three weeks, not three days

**sooyoung** : …

**sooyoung** : what can i say? i’m excited

 

* * *

Sooyoung gets cockblocked by work, of all things. 

 

A new case comes in, and then another three, and now it’s not just Haseul but three other colleagues who are kneeling by her desk and begging her not to go to San Francisco. Who is Sooyoung to say no? 

 

Is she a love-sick fool? Maybe. A heartless love-sick fool? That, she is not. 

 

She calls the airline to cancel the ticket, getting none of the money back. At least there are flowers on the new mountain of files on her desk, attached with a ‘thank you’ card from Minkyung. That’s nice of her. She feels absolutely horrible that her luggage she’d packed three weeks in advance will have to be unloaded, but that was really nice of her boss to do that. She’s very kind. The universe? Not so much.

 

Sooyoung unloads her luggage with as much energy as she could muster from her deadweight arms, and a heavy heart pounding blood through her body at a snail’s pace. Mind you, she’s the type to shove clothes into her carrier three hours before she needs to go to the airport. Packing in advance wasn’t something she’d ever thought she’d do-- until, that is, she found herself racking her brain to choose the outfits she’ll be wear for San Francisco (ie. Jinsoul).

 

Haneul jumps into her lap, settling himself nicely into her warmth.

 

“You must be happy that I’m not leaving,huh?” She says, scratching the back of his head. The puppy whines in contentment. “Remember Mommy’s plan to get you a second Mommy? Yeah, that’s gonna have to wait, little guy.”

 

Haneul whines again, as if he knows what she’s thinking. 

 

Her phone sits on her bedside table, pinging away. The heart in her to answer it immediately if it’s the girl halfway across the world is gone, if only momentarily. She wonders if Jinsoul’s going to feel as disappointed as she does.

 

Fortunately for her, case files, Haneul and alcohol make for a fantastic distraction.

 

* * *

[unread]

**jinsoul** : call me CALL ME 

**jinsoul:** i’m about to explode

**jinsoul** : sooyoung sooyoung sooyoung

**jinsoul** : please i want you to hear this from me myself

 

* * *

“You look like the lovechild of Courage the Cowardly Dog and that one actress from Blue is the Warmest Colour,” Haseul greets her, likely referring to the larger than life eye-bags under her tired eyes. 

 

“You watched Blue is the Warmest Colour?”

 

Haseul stares at her, letting the silence pass between them. “Not the point.”

 

The ache in her body becomes too loud to repress in the comfortable space Haseul creates, and Sooyoung lets out the groan she’s been holding in in front of her other colleagues. Unlike her friend, Sooyoung’s never really been a morning person, even after three coffees. It doesn’t help that the thought of Jinsoul being disappointed invades every facet of her mind, overriding even her own disappointment at the turn of events. 

 

The urge to call her this morning when she received her coffee from that same barista that triggered the Mars in Horny, Venus in Capricorn, Mercury in retrograde or whatever it was in her (Jinsoul’s more the astrology type) was almost too strong to resist. 

 

Not the best thing to do before going to court.

 

_ It’s going to be a long fucking day, _ she thinks, putting her phone on silent and shoving it into her bag.

 

* * *

[unread]

**jinsoul** : saw a pretty girl on my way to work

**jinsoul** : thought of calling you to tell you about her, like you always do

**jinsoul** : but you must be busy

**jinsoul** : i’ll see you

**jinsoul** : i... miss you

 

* * *

Sooyoung knowingly ignores Jinsoul’s texts for a week. Half of it is work keeping her extra busy, and the other half is the absolute dread of having to break the news to her. It just makes everything feel real. Sooyoung doesn’t like real.

 

* * *

_ You have 25 notifications from jinsoul. _

 

_ You have 3 missed calls from jinsoul. _

 

* * *

The fourth call becomes too hard to ignore.

 

All she can imagine is Jinsoul pouting behind the screen, Jinsoul waiting impatiently for her to pick up, Jinsoul trying to tell her something, Jinsoul…

 

“Hey,” she gasps out, trying not to sound like she has forgotten how to talk to the only person she ever feels like talking to. 

 

_ “Sooyoung? You must have been really busy…” _

 

“Uh, yeah, lots of cases came in at once,” she sighs, tired of letting the burden weigh on her heart longer than it should. “Look, I’m sorry for this past week. It’s just... I have to tell you something.”

 

_ “Yeah?” _

 

“I… I had to cancel the flight. I’m so sorry,” she rambles, emotions that she’d been hiding behind her work persona pouring out all at once. “I tried, I really tried my best to change the court dates and everything but things just keep piling up--” 

 

_ “Sooyoung, it’s okay.” _

 

“--and I feel so horrible because I’ve been looking forward to it and I made you excited for it and everything but shit just keeps happening--”

 

_ “Sooyoung, IT’S OKAY.” _

 

“No it’s not okay! I don’t have time to go on vacation anymore because we just took in this case that I can foresee going on for months. MONTHS.”

 

_ “Listen to me. I’m--” _

“I can’t deal with not seeing you for a few more months when I expected it to be a few weeks! And I can’t deal with it because I like you so fucking much!”

 

_ “--coming back to Seoul for good.”  _

 

The static over the phone is suddenly the loudest noise on the planet. 

 

_ “Say what?” _

 

“Oh.” That was not meant to happen. “Oh no.”

 

Sooyoung is about to pull the phone away from her face when she hears Jinsoul angrily cry out,  _ “Ha Sooyoung! Don’t you dare hang up!”  _

 

“For good. You’re… you’re… you’re sure about that?” she’s struggling to even breathe, let alone get words out. 

 

There’s almost an air of mischief when Jinsoul fully utilises the pause to create suspense. She hears a light chuckle. Sooyoung’s basically a step into her grave already, with how fast her heart is racing. 

 

_ “Almost as sure as how much I like you back, which is pretty sure.” _

 

Sooyoung almost passes out. The flowers, a product of her hypothetical Hanahaki disease, collectively wilt and die, clearing her lungs and throat all in one go. Like in a snap of Thanos’ fingers, the petals have faded into dust, and she’s been cured. Wow.

 

She spends her night on the phone with Jinsoul, hears her gulp down her breakfast, nearly choke when Sooyoung makes her laugh, and sends her off to work with a silly smile on her face. 

 

* * *

**jinsoul** : babe i’ve landed

**sooyoung** : great!!!

**sooyoung** : i’ve only been here for ten hours, no big deal

 

* * *

Jung Jinsoul is blonde hair, big eyes, pink lips and a sharp jawline. 

 

And Sooyoung finally sees it for the first time, approximately a hundred feet behind the arrival gate, trying her hardest not to let her heart beat out of her chest. Her phone rings before she can react to seeing the woman in person, and she watches as she scans the crowd anxiously, probably trying to find Sooyoung.

 

_ “Hey, where--” _

 

“Sorry, wait, I know you’re going to say something important but I have to tell you something first. There’s a really pretty girl right in front of me.”

 

Jinsoul rolls her eyes. The realisation sets in, and Sooyoung almost tears up with how she’s able to see that happening.  _ “Really? Right now? Fine. How does she look like?” _

 

It’s almost cinematic, really, the way their eyes meet right before Sooyoung answers the question. She takes a few slow steps forward.

 

“An angel.” Sooyoung can see Jinsoul’s cheekbones rising a little with her small smile. Jinsoul leaves her cart of bags behind, hopping into a light step. At that action, Sooyoung feels herself fall a little more in love. 

 

_ “Oh, huh. An angel?” _

 

She wills her voice to not go small. “Blonde hair, big eyes, pink lips, jawline carved by the gods… Great personality. Nicest laugh in the world. She’s even wearing white. Definitely an angel.”

 

_ “Well, why don’t you go talk to her instead of me?” _ There’s that laugh again. 

 

Sooyoung reciprocates the tiny smile she sees on Jinsoul’s face. They’re barely apart by now. 

 

“She’s on the phone,” Sooyoung says teasingly. “I’m not sure if she’ll want to talk to me.”

 

_ “I’m sure she’d love to.” _ Hearing Sooyoung let out a resigned sigh as part of her act, Jinsoul tilts her head slightly, smile widening a little. They simultaneously pull the phones away from their ears, standing in front of each other. There’s a slight pause before Jinsoul teases, “You’re such an idiot.”

 

“Hold my hand, please?” Sooyoung asks, smile broadening when Jinsoul wordlessly laces their hands together.

 

“Not gonna lie, I’d assumed you’d be asking for a kiss.”

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be asking for those too.”

 

 

* * *

 

**sooyoungie** @hasooyoung

nothing to see here just me, haneul and our favourite person

[family.jpg]

 

**soul** @jin_sOUL

     :D  
  
**album link in bio** @lil_yeojin 

     your dog chonky

  
**album link in bio** @lil_yeojin

     wait… weren’t you those bitches who were flirting in chonkyanimals’ mentions?!?!??!?!?!

**Author's Note:**

> the mars in horny line was inspired greatly by os gc, yall know who you are
> 
> come hit me up!  
> twt: @2jinverse


End file.
